Thursday, April 06, 2006

Ralph Martin in the Chorus

Ralph Martin has avoided running for governor or lieutenant governor of Massachusetts. Yet, he could well be an éminence grise to the next administration.

Next month, he begins a two-year term chairing the board of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. Of course, his Clark Kent roles remain the money ones -- partner of mega-lawyers Bingham McCutchen and managing principal of their consulting arm.

As CoC chair, he intends to bring bucks and jobs to the area. The factual PR take on it (which Ralph surely agreed to but did not phrase) reads:

The Chamber's commitment to work for legislative changes that encourage a strong, growing economy is a commitment I have shared throughout my career. I look forward to serving as chairman of the Chamber, and advancing its work to create an environment that fosters job creation throughout the region's leading industries while providing meaningful and broad job opportunities for Greater Boston.

Ralph has the personality, smarts and expertise to influence legislation that favors the area. So far, Tom Reilly and Deval Patrick have promised to build business partnerships to the same end. Business will surely stand up and rush out to greet the governor.